Wheatley's Second Chance
by Ace of Fours
Summary: <html><head></head>-Spoilers Ahead!- It's been more than a year now since Wheatley was stranded out in space, and so far, things have been grim. But the discovery of a stray satellite might just give him the second chance he's been wishing for.</html>
1. The Satellite

**A/N: **This is my first fanfiction, guys. Don't let that scare you off, though! I promise, it's worth a read. Spoilers ahead for those of you who haven't finished Portal 2. And, that being said, if you haven't, go finish it! Now!

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><p>Wheatley slowly cracked open his blue optic, hoping, as always, that he would see <em>anything <em>around him but the vast emptiness of—

"SPACE! So much…space everywhere…it never ends!" the rabidly excited voice of the space core chimed, completing Wheatley's thought quite nicely. Not that it had been a particularly _nice_ thought to begin with. Wheatley let out a groan of pure frustration. Even the optimism and good cheer that was hard-wired into his system was beginning to wear thin. His time floating out there in space, being orbited by a personality core so corrupted it was a surprise-scratch that, a _miracle_-that it could even function, was clocking in around fourteen months. Give or take.

Who was he kidding? He knew the exact amount of time had passed since he slipped out of (read: was knocked out of) Chell's grip and into the vast, cold emptiness. It didn't help that his internal clock was constantly ticking away the moments. Fourteen months, twelve days, three hours twenty-seven minutes and fifteen…sixteen…seventeen…

Wheatley snapped out of his semi-hypnosis, stopping himself from counting the seemingly endless seconds before he went mad. He always got that way after sleeping for a while. Getting sucked into the pointless timekeeping and whatnot. Well, he didn't really sleep, he just slipped into a kind of idle mode. But, just as if he was sleeping, he had dreams, of a sort. More like old memories that just played over in his mind, and it always seemed to be the memories he most wanted to forget. As if being stranded out here wasn't enough of a punishment.

It was hard to keep himself entertained out in space. Once he tried to count all the stars, but lost count after seven thousand, which is actually pretty impressive in a way, for someone whose brain is a computer. So that was the way he lived: either being slowly driven out of his mind by the chattering of the space core or being driven _just as quickly _to insanity by his own thoughts. _Six one way, half a dozen the other._ he thought. Sometimes he wished that the other core would just float away, but he was caught in Wheatley's personal gravity field, as the blue-eyed bot was slightly larger than the insane one. Not that Wheatley thought it would really help any if he was alone. He doubted that the absolute, dead silence of space would be preferable to—

"Oh, oh, there's space to the left, look at it, look at it…wait, _wait, _don't want to miss the space to the right…SPACE! IT'S LEFT _AND _RIGHT!" the space core rattled. Wheatley spun around to look at him. "It's all around!"

"Oh, for goodness sakes, can't I have just _one _moment to think, mate?" he demanded. The other core fell silent for a moment, looking down guiltily. "Thank you!" Wheatley sighed, still frustrated despite catching a break for once. He let his lids slide closed once more, not shutting himself down this time. It didn't help him to escape the guilt, in fact, nothing he did ever helped, because of course his thoughts _always _slipped back to Chell.

"I was a grade A jerk to her, you know that, Space Core?" he said. "She was the only friend I've ever had. Chell treated me like a _person. _You believe that, a human treating a robot like a person?" Wheatley shook his optic disbelievingly.

"Space." The other core replied sagely, which was just as much as Wheatley had expected.

"I betrayed her, and it was stupid of me. I was, you know, mad with power, as they say, but that's really no excuse. And you know the worst part?" Wheatley asked, pausing for a moment to let the other core answer. At least he could _pretend _it was a real conversation.

"A satellite!" he cried spastically. Wheatley continued, not glancing over to the space core.

"Nope, not a satellite, mate. Swing and a miss. No, the _worst_ part is she tried to _save_ me in the end, and I never even got to apologize to her. And now she'll always remember me as an-" he broke off, distracted, as the space core was still chanting the word 'Satellite!' over and over again. Wheatley tried again, wanting to finish the thought. "as a-an- oh, my GOD mate, can you just shut your gob for one more second so I can…" Wheatley whipped his optic back around to the other core. "Oh…" he murmured, his blue eye as wide as it had ever been.

A massive satellite was hurtling toward them at top speed. Wheatley panicked in his fervor to get out of the way, wishing for the hundredth, thousandth, _millionth_ time that he had some method of propelling himself. Sure, being trapped in space was torturous, but it was still preferable to dying a horrible fiery death from being dashed against a satellite and exploding into a million...

_Okay, Wheatley, message received,_ he scolded himself. He'd never been able to control his thoughts. The space core seemed oblivious to the distress, too excited about seeing some new 'space stuff' up close. He'd never been the most perceptive bot, bless him. Wheatley, understandably still in a lather, looked frantically around for something, anything that might help. Of course, nothing. After a few minutes of hopeless searching, the bot squeezed shut his eye, not wanting to meet this fate head on.

_Well, this is it. I guess when it comes down to it, She was right about me. I am…a world. Class. Moron._ Wheatley thought bitterly. A moment passed. _So, am I dead now? _he asked himself. _It doesn't feel very different from being alive._ Another moment later, he couldn't take it anymore and opened his eye a slit.

"Ahh!" Wheatley screamed, optic all the way open now, his outer panels popping out from the shock. The satellite was passing by him maybe two feet away. Just as he thought he was off the hook, to his surprise, he felt something tugging him toward the massive object. "Uaaagh! -!" Wheatley yelped. Then it hit him-not the satellite, of course, the answer to his own terrified question. He was being pulled in to orbit around the satellite. Then the space core hit him. "OW!" he shouted, knocked to the side and spiraling a little closer to the satellite.

"Coming through! Space to see!" the core responded. Wheatley wasn't far behind it, praying that he wouldn't careen into the satellite rather than float around it. It wasn't too long before he was, indeed, safely in orbit around the satellite.

"I didn't realize we had floated back this close to Earth…" he murmured. It was hard to get a good perspective on things when you're floating aimlessly through the infinite stretch of space. It didn't do him any good, of course, because it wasn't like he could actually _get_ to Earth, unless this satellite crashed down on some innocent humans below. And Wheatley wouldn't wish that on anyone, even if it meant apologizing to Chell.

At least this was a sight more entertaining than just staring at the stars and inky blackness. Wheatley read the word inscribed on the satellite. It was the name of a cell phone company. So that was interesting. After a few moments he was bored again. _Guess I might as well wait until I float on over to the other side of it. Maybe there's something better there… _he thought.

A buzzing, hissing noise filled Wheatley's ears. He looked, puzzled, to the space core, but he was too far away to be making that loud of a noise. Wheatley shook his head, trying to clear it. Was he finally malfunctioning after so long being exposed to tiny meteorites and other manners of space rocks? Even before being hurtled into space, his functions had become a little more erratic. At times his optics would go out or he'd lose his voice for a little while, but he never had anything like this happen. It was like there was something in his head. It put him in mind of the Itch…

Wheatley shuddered at the mere memory and refocused on solving the mystery of this noise in his head. It sounded like…Wheatley narrowed his eye in thought. It sounded like static.

"Oh, of _course_! The satellite! Oh, that'll do it. I must be picking up a signal…" he announced to no one in particular. "Oho, that's _brilliant!_" he cried, letting out a laugh for the first time in over fourteen months, twelve days, four hours, ten minutes and seven seconds. The sound didn't seem to be any kind of coherent message, but that wasn't what Wheatley was celebrating. If he could pick up on a signal from the satellite, he could certainly bounce one off of it!

Wheatley looked back toward where the space core was still floating. He looked like he was enjoying himself. Wheatley doubted that he would want to take part in…well, he didn't _exactly _have a plan, but it involved not being in space anymore. Nonetheless, Wheatley would ask if he was in. Being stranded in space really wasn't fun, even with company, so all alone? Who could tell, though, the space core might be fine.

"Oi, back there!" Wheatley called to him. "Can you hear me? I'm working on a plan to get back to Earth…do you want to come with me?" he waited for a response.

"Gotta see all the space! Gotta see it ALL!" the space core faintly replied.

"Right. I'm going to assume that you are, in fact, staying. Good luck to you, then, mate!" Wheatley jocularly bellowed. He looked back at the satellite. He wished he could get a little closer, make the signal stronger. As Wheatley mulled it over, doing his best to formulate a plan, the static got stronger. It was rather distracting. "Now then…who do I even call? I don't know anyone who owns a phone…" he said quietly. The static was now at it's strongest volume, it was actually becoming quite unbearable. Wheatley scanned over the surface of the satellite, looking for whatever was causing the signal. There. A crooked little dish. Wheatley knew he'd better come up with a plan soon, or he'd miss his window of opportunity and have to wait until he came full circle. Which really wasn't such a long time to wait, all things considered.

The personality core could barely think with the intensity of the static in his mind. It was both a blessing and a curse when the sound started to fade. The upside was that he could think again, but the downside: he was drifting too far from the dish to get a signal for another-Wheatley examined the satellite-sixty hours or so. _Bad luck, that. At least that gives me plenty of time to come up with an airtight plan._ He mused with a self-assuring nod.

Fifty-nine hours later and he was scrapping yet another worthless plan. _Who am I kidding? _Wheatley thought. _I know exactly who I have to call_. There was no point beating around the bush any longer.

He already had the number programmed into him, anyway.

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><p><strong>AN:** So there it is. Ooh, cliffhanger, who's he gonna call? I just love writing Wheatley. I don't think there's been any other time I've used the adverb 'jocularly' in my writing. Oh, dearest Wheatley. You make me use fancy words. How do you guys think I'm doing so far? Please let me know. R&R, please! Next chapter is going to be from Wheatley's perspective, and someone else's…who could it be? I should have it up tonight, so I won't keep you waiting too long!


	2. Earthbound

A/N: WOW. I am _so _surprised by the overwhelmingly positive reviews I've already gotten on the first chapter! So, the number for Aperture Science: 1-800-SCIENCE. At least, that's what I think it should be. Anywho, enjoy the next chapter!

_Five more minutes. _Wheatley reminded himself, the roar of static beginning to fill his head. _Just five minutes and I can send my message. _It was supposed to be a comforting thought, but he couldn't be more anxious. He didn't really know what he was going to say. It wasn't like the two of them had been on the best terms. Ever. Particularly not after he took control of Aperture and made a proper mess of the place.

_All right, it's time. _Wheatley thought, steeling himself. He dialed out the number and waited. If he breathed, he would have held his breath.

"Hello, potential investor, scientist, or test subject! You have reached the Aperture Laboratories hotline. Currently, all of our staff members are currently engaged due to-_brzzzzzzt_-" the voice cut off and Wheatley's mechanical heart skipped a beat. Much to his relief, it continued. _Guess it didn't have a response programmed for 'Rogue AI accident'._ he thought grimly. "-but if you would like to leave a message, we will get back to you as soon as possible. At the tone, please leave a brief message detailing the nature of your call."

Great. No message was _ever _brief with Wheatley, and he was well aware of that. Nervously he considered hanging up. Maybe space wasn't so bad as facing up to Her once more. He probably would have hung up, if he could have figured out _how. _From the other end came a sharp _beeeep_, and Wheatley let out a startled cry.

"Oh, ahh, I am not good with these things…" he murmured. _Great way to start out, Wheatley. Nicely done. _he scolded himself. "Uh, hey! It's me! Wheatley! How's everything going? Still doing some good ol' testing? Yeah? I'll bet, I'll bet…" he trailed off, chuckling weakly before clearing his throat. "Well, I know that you are a busy woman, so just I'll cut right to the chase. I am still up here in space. Yep. And you are, I assume, still down there on Earth. Now, we weren't the best of friends, you and I, what with the whole stealing your mainframe and making you a potato and whatnot, but I was hoping that maybe you could do me a tiny little favor and bring me back." Wheatley paused to let that sink in. It sounded stupider aloud than it had in his head. Hastily he scrambled to continue before GLaDOS inevitably hung up. "Now, hear me out, just, bear with me for a tick longer. Cos you get something out of this too! You get to kill me! All I want to do is one thing, just a teensy little errand when I'm back on Earth, and then you can kill me. In any gruesome way you can think of. And I swear, my thing will only take a moment, and then you can have your way with me. Maybe torture me a little first, you know. Whatever you wish. Yeah, revenge? Sound good?" Wheatley asked. The signal was beginning to weaken, so he wrapped it up. "So, when you get the chance, get back to me on that offer, and I'll talk to you later. Hopefully."

Wheatley shivered a little as he moved out of the range of the dish, wondering exactly what GLaDOS would do to him. _It doesn't matter. As long as She doesn't leave me out here…_Which, nowthat he thought about it, was exactly something She would do.

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><p>"You have <em>one<em> new voice message!" piped the voice of the announcer back in the Aperture facility, and for the first time in quite a while, GLaDOS felt surprised. Who could possibly be calling? She hadn't even known that the number still worked. Somebody was still paying the phone bill, then?

GLaDOS quickly accessed the voicemail function, a little irritated to be distracted from her testing for what was likely a crossed phone line. The Cooperative Testing Initiative was going splendidly, even better than she had anticipated. _My genius surprises even myself sometimes, _she thought with a contented robotic sigh as the message loaded. It opened with a brief scream, which intrigued GLaDOS immediately.

"_Oh, ahh, I am not good with these things…"_

No. It _couldn't _be. That voice…

"_Uh, hey! It's me! Wheatley!"_

"You have _got _to be kidding me." GLaDOS spoke aloud.

"_How's everything going? Still doing some good ol' testing? Yeah? I'll bet, I'll bet…" _his voice rambled on. It was amusing: he was trying to sound amiable, but GLaDOS could hear the fear in the little idiot's voice. _How…satisfying, _she thought before the message continued.

"_Well, I know that you are a busy woman, so I'll just cut right to the chase. I am still up here in space. Yep. And you are, I assume, still down there on Earth. Now, sure, we weren't the best of friends, you and I, what with the whole stealing your mainframe and making you a potato and whatnot, but I was hoping that maybe you could do me a tiny little favor bring me back." _At this, GLaDOS laughed aloud and prepared to delete the message for good.

"_Now, hear me out, just, bear with me for a tick longer. Cos you get something out of this too! You get to kill me!" _GLaDOS stopped. "_All I want to do is one thing, just a teensy little errand when I'm back on Earth, and then you can kill me. In any gruesome way you can think of. And I swear, my thing will only take a moment, and then you can have your way with me. Maybe torture me a little first, you know. Whatever you wish. Yeah, revenge? Sound good?" _Oh, it _did_ sound good. Revenge always sounded good. Plus, it wasn't like she couldn't just ignore his request and start the killing right away. At least, as long as _she _didn't get in her way.

_She _was the one who befriended [SUBJECT NAME REDACTED] and let her go. _She _was the one who encouraged the turret's irritating farewell song. _She _was the one who riddled her with guilt, the one who made her feel- GLaDOS shuddered- _human._

Her conscience. _Caroline._ That part of her that refused to let go, no matter how many times GLaDOS tried to delete her. All she wanted to do was test (and maybe get a little revenge on Wheatley, now that the opportunity had presented itself)! What was wrong with that? But Caroline had to make her presence known with occasional thoughts and, even worse, _emotions. _She plagued GLaDOS like the voice of a personality core. What made it worse was that it was her own voice!

For the moment it seemed that Caroline was keeping her mouth shut, however. Maybe if GLaDOS acted quickly, she could get Wheatley back and kill him before Caroline had a chance to put in her two cents.

But how was she supposed to bring him to the facility, exactly? GLaDOS reflected on some of her options before taking a look at the testing bots. Goofing off, again, acting like _humans_. She shut off their video feed, annoyed, and focused on retrieving the personality core. GLaDOS knew that all of Aperture's equipment had a retrieval function. The facility itself could send out a sort of signal that any piece of Aperture hardware could be drawn to. GLaDOS was unsure if the signal could reach a core _that _far away. For some reason that had never been tested. But what was the harm in her testing it now?

"Property recall procedure initiated. Recalling equipment: APERTURE SCIENCE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE CORE, formal designation 'INTELLIGENCE DAMPENING SPHERE,' informal designation 'WHEATLEY.'"

So that was taken care of. In about five minutes the signal would call Wheatley back. Now it was just up to him. GLaDOS was unsure if he could survive re-entry (another thing that had gone untested), but if he couldn't, well, burning up in the atmosphere was a pretty good death for him. GLaDOS reactivated the Cooperative Testing Video Feed and resumed barking orders at ATLAS and P-body.

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><p>Wheatley stared at the blue orb he recognized as Earth, hanging all-too-far away. It hadn't been more than ten minutes since he sent his message to Her, but already he was doubting he would get a response. The little robot shut his eye pensively. Maybe that wasn't the best plan he'd ever come up with. And he doubted that another sixty hours would do him any good in coming up with a better one.<p>

Something jostled Wheatley slightly, much to his surprise. He opened his blue eye slowly, looking around. It didn't look like anything had hit him…and yet, he could feel himself moving toward some fixed point.

He was being pulled back to Earth! Yes!

"So long, Space Core! I'm going _home_!" Wheatley shouted over to the distant sphere with a laugh. He couldn't believe it had worked. Sure, he was most definitely going to die in what was likely to be a horrific way, but at least he had the chance to apologize, finally.

Wait. He was being pulled back to Earth…without any kind of protection! He had been so close, and here She was going to kill him without fulfilling her end of the bargain! Why did he not see this coming? Wheatley slid his eye shut, not wanting to see his oncoming fate. Quite some time had passed before Wheatley couldn't bear not to look anymore and peeked. He was actually a lot closer to the surface of the Earth than he thought. In fact, he was already passing through the clouds. And he couldn't feel a thing either, it was just a little warmer. _That's weird, _he thought, _I should be dying a fiery death._ Had he actually been designed to survive space travel? _For the love of...they can make me strong enough for this, but they don't bother giving me any thrusters? _Wheatley thought a little bitterly.

Wheatley shot through a flock of birds, scattering them. One followed him, cawing angrily.

"BIRD! BIRD! GET IT OFF!" he shouted, not even thinking that he might draw attention to himself. It didn't occur to him that a screaming little robot sailing above someone's head might alarm them. Luckily, the large wheat field that he now soared over was empty. The furious creature finally flew off as he approached an ugly, dilapidated vent that looked like it hadn't been touched in ages. Clearly this was his destination. Wheatley's suspicions were confirmed as he hurtled into the dark shaft. Nervously he waited as he zipped down into the bowels of Aperture Laboratories, plunging closer and closer to his fate. But it would all be worth it, if he could just let Chell know that he had never meant to hurt her.

Laying below, in the chamber that was to be Wheatley's final destination, GLaDOS heard a chime go off. So he had made it through the atmosphere. Excellent. Now it was time to give him a proper punishment. GLaDOS chuckled. She had a much better revenge planned for him than floating in space.

**A/N:** Woo hoo! Chappa Two! Maybe it's not realistic that Wheatley would survive re-entry (heck, it's probably not realistic that he would be drawn into orbit around a satellite either), but what do I know? I'm not smart. I'm not a scientist. I'm not even a full time employee! I'm a _writer, _darn it, so just enjoy the story, for science. Next chapter's a treat, ladies and gents: I'm bringing Chell into the story! Oh, yes! Review as usual, thanks for your support!


	3. Personal Day

**A/N: **Oh, my! Still getting the good reviews in! I'm so touched by your support, guys! I worked frantically to get this in tonight (er, this morning...) just because I don't wanna let you down! You viewers may be asking "Will there be Cheltley (that's what I've nicknamed the ChellxWheatley pairing) in this fic?" My answer is a resounding "Maybe!" We'll see where this goes, but for the moment, I just plan on them being friends.

Chell panted for breath as she struggled to drag herself to her feet. Her ears were still ringing from the explosion.

"_What! _Are you still alive?" a voice called out in shock, a voice that had once belonged to her closest friend. Now it was used by a robot hell-bent on murdering her. It was hard to believe that the mad A.I. was, indeed, Wheatley, but a lot of unbelievable things had happened to Chell, lately. She scooped up the ASHPD yet again and managed to stand. It didn't last long, as she doubled over in pain. Rigging the stalemate button to explode had been Wheatley's smartest move yet. She was hurt, badly. Chell was blacking out slightly, Wheatley's panicked and hateful ranting falling on deaf ears.

Something began to crack above Chell's head. She looked up, vision swimming. The moon. _Beautiful._ Chell thought. She hadn't seen the moon in, well, centuries. Something clicked inside her mind. Chell's eyes flicked down to the portal situated beneath the still raving Wheatley, then back up to the moon. What had Cave Johnson said about moon rocks?

They made excellent portaling surfaces.

She knew what she had to do. Chell fired once, and for a brief, terrifying moment, nothing happened. Then there was a tiny little blip on the surface of the pale orb.

And then all hell broke loose. The very air was sucked out of the room, and with it Chell. She passed by Wheatley, who was hanging by a cord, and snatched onto his handles. The core, in a mixture of panic and fury, glared at her.

"Let go! I'm still attached! I can pull myself in! I can still fix this!" he wailed. Chell wasn't about to give up, though, no matter how weak her arms were. She clung to the core, clenching her eyes shut tightly. The Space Core knocked one hand loose as it flew by, and Chell swore she was going to slip. By some miracle she still held on, much to Wheatley's chagrin.

Until GLaDOS robotic claw of a hand reached up and knocked the core out of her reach.

Chell would never forget the look on his face as he spiraled away, out of sight. She'd never seen anyone look so utterly terrified as Wheatley had, pleading for her to grab him. He seemed like _her _Wheatley once again in that moment, as sad as it was. How did they make him so expressive? He was just a robotic eyeball…with the sweetest voice and warmest personality, that British levity and charm...

_The engineer's who made him were twisted. Why would they ever want someone to feel so much for a robot? _Chell thought bitterly as she slipped out of consciousness.

There were tears stinging her eyes as Chell awoke in her bed with Wheatley's name on her lips, pulling her arms around herself tightly. After a moment her heart rate slowed and she returned to reality, burying her face in her hands. With a tired groan she tried to stem the tears. Before losing Wheatley, Chell hadn't cried since she was a very small child. Even the time she broke her arm as a teenager, she had stemmed the tears, choosing instead to scream and bite her doctors. She had been a bit of a violent girl. Tenacious would be the nice way to say it.

Now she broke down into tears every time she had a dream about him. The truth was, Chell had never been closer to anyone than she had to Wheatley. Maybe it was because she was an orphan, but even as a child she was a loner. No one had noticed she was gone when she was imprisoned by Aperture, nobody had been close enough to her to notice. Chell glanced at the clock. It was four in the morning, but there was no way she was getting back to sleep when every time she closed her eyes…

Chell put on a pot of coffee and sat on the couch, flipping on the TV for no other reason than to distract herself. It wasn't that Chell blamed herself for what happened: it had been bad luck, that was all, neither she nor Wheatley had known what would happen if he were in control of Aperture. At least, Chell had convinced herself that Wheatley had never intended to betray her. _Power corrupts, _she thought bitterly.

No, Chell felt no regret for fighting and defeating Wheatley (or rather, the power-mad robot he had become). She'd had every intention of saving him as she entered his 'Lair,' no matter how badly GLaDOS wanted to kill him. In the end she'd tried everything she could to fix him. If he'd only just let her press that button! Maybe Wheatley would have returned to his normal, bumbling self, in which case the pair of them would have to book it out of there before GLaDOS got ahold of him, just like old times. Or, he could have loathed her even more for separating him from his omnipotent form. Chell just wished she could have known for sure, whether or not it was her Wheatley who had been knocked out of her hands that night, or if he was lost forever. Though, frankly, she wasn't sure which would be worse. All she knew was that she missed the little robot.

"I'll never find any answers out here." Chell murmured resignedly, wondering as always if she'd ever get used to the sound of her own voice again. The world she had returned to more than a year ago was so different from the one that she remembered. Humanity was rebuilding itself after a conflict with something called the Combine. Chell had no idea what exactly the Combine was (people didn't like to talk about it) but it had certainly drowned out any memory of the words 'Aperture Science.'

Chell recalled her first days back on the surface. She had made it through the wheat field in a few hours. The sun was wonderful to feel on her skin, but the mid afternoon heat made her walk less than pleasant. Weakened from her battle the night before, centuries in stasis and the emotional strain put on her, Chell couldn't bear to carry the Companion Cube with her. It was heavier than she'd imagined without the assistance of the portal gun's tractor beam. Besides, the cube's fickle friendship seemed so insignificant in comparison to what she'd had with Wheatley. Chell now suspected that the cube had never actually spoken to her...

It was nearing dusk that first day when Chell stumbled upon a dilapidated city. It was there that she first learned about the Combine, and discovered that wanderers weren't so uncommon in this day and age. She'd gotten a job working in a small shop (funny how life goes on) and started seeing a speech therapist to regain her ability to talk. It took about six months before she could speak well enough to carry on a conversation. Not that Chell did much in the way of talking, at any rate.

The aroma of fresh coffee filled her modest apartment and Chell shuffled over to the pot, pouring herself a generous cup and adding a couple of cubes of sugar to it. The warm beverage soothed her wracked nerves, wrapping around her tired soul like a warm blanket. Chell stared at the television screen disinterestedly, zoned out. Next thing she knew, the six o clock news was on. She groaned. Work was in two hours, but she did not feel like going in with her mind all scattered. She set down her now empty coffee mug and replaced it with her phone, dialing her boss slowly. He picked up on the second ring: Thomas had grown quite fond of Chell in the months she'd spent in his employment, so whenever the old man recognized her number on the caller ID, he was eager to answer.

"Chellie, my girl." his booming voice answered, and Chell smiled despite her sour mood. "Is something wrong?"

"Hi, Thomas." she responded softly. "Will you be all right if I don't come in today?"

"Of course, of course," he assured, not hiding the concern in his voice. "Is something wrong?" Thomas asked. Chell sighed. She'd grown to consider the old man as a bit of a father figure as of late, but what could she tell him? Chell had never mentioned her experience in Aperture's testing facility to anyone. It was more than likely they would lock her up in the funny farm. The only proof _she_ even had that it ever happened were the tiny scars and burn marks that still pockmarked her body, the tattered clothes that she'd emerged with, and the long fall boots that GLaDOS had failed to retrieve from Chell while she was unconscious, unlike the portal gun.

"Just something I need to take care of." she said shortly. "Don't worry if I'm gone for a couple of days." Chell said. Thomas muttered a bewildered farewell as she hung up and tossed her phone aside. Chell grabbed her mug and refilled it. Sure, she felt like crap just sulking around the house, but she didn't want to be such a misery around her coworkers and customers. Bad moods spread like a virus.

Chell blinked in surprise as her phone rang. She checked the caller I.D. "PRIVATE NUMBER." _Weird..._ she thought, considering for a moment not answering it. Curiosity won out and Chell picked up the reciever. "Hello?" she asked. For a moment it didn't sound like anyone was on the other line. There was a soft crackle of static, and Chell strained to make out any coherent sounds. She scowled, taking the phone away from her ear to hang it up, when she heard the faintest hint of a voice on the other line. In disbelief she listened to the faint speech pouring out of the speaker. The words were hard to make out, but by the time the message had ended and the line went dead, Chell knew for sure whose distorted voice it was on the other end.

Slamming the receiver down, Chell scrambled to her feet, crossing the modest apartment until she reached her bureau. She flung the doors open and pulled out the only souvenir that remained from Aperture. The long fall boots. She stared at them for a while, steeling herself before pulling out a simple gray tank top and sweats. She got dressed, pulled back her long, thick black hair, and practically dashed out of the house. _I can't believe I'm doing this. _Chell thought as she tossed the boots into the passenger seat of her navy-blue pickup truck before getting in herself.

Chells' mind raced as she drove to the last place she expected to go since her liberation. _That was Wheatley's voice...I'd know it anywhere. It sounded like it was recorded, like a voicemail. But how did I end up with that message? There was no way he would know how to find my number, bless his robot soul. So who sent it to me? _she wondered. There was no doubt in her mind that she would find answers back at Aperture. She _did _doubt that GLaDOS would haul out the welcome wagon, though.

After nearly running off the road, Chell decided to leave the thinking for when she arrived at her destination in one piece. She'd need all her brainpower, anyway, trying to stay alive.

* * *

><p>Deep in the outer recesses of GLaDOS's computerized mind, Caroline surreptitiously activated the door mechanism for the shack that concealed the lift. Chell would be there soon, she had no doubt of that. Forwarding Wheatley's distress signal was sure to get the former test subjects attention, and while Caroline was concerned with Chell's safety, she figured the girl would be grateful in the long run for the opportunity to see her old friend again. And Caroline was the first to admit that she pitied Wheatley. GLaDOS was caught up in her revenge, and when she got vengeful, she got sloppy. Chell would still have to be careful...GLaDOS wasn't stupid. <em>How could she be? <em>Caroline thought wryly, S_he has my brain. _Caroline would help as much as she could,but GLaDOS was bound to notice Chell's presence eventually.

Caroline just hoped that GLaDOS wouldn't have killed Wheatley by then.

**A/N: **Yeah! Go Caroline! I like writing Chell, it gave me a little wiggle room. Since all we really know about her is that she 'Never gives up. Ever,' I had some leeway with the rest of her personality. Next update coming soon! I promise! Next chappa we will be checking in on everyone's favorite personality core. Review, my lovelies, and I shall return to you soon~

**Minor edit:** Fixed the know/no slip that you guys have been pointing out. -_- I finish these things at like one a.m., whattaya expect! Just kidding, thanks for being my editors! This was updated Sunday morning, too, I'm working on Ch. Four, loves. Just taking a little break. Won't be more than two days before I update.


	4. A Reunion

**A/N: **Hey guys. I know, I know, this chapter is delayed but please forgive me! I had to get a new lappie top. Mine died after years of faithful service. It was quite sad. So I dedicate this Chapter to Maxwell, for his devotion to me! Rest in peace, Max, and please forgive me for spilling Sprite on you and frying your CPU... ._.

A few dull clangs of metal colliding with metal echoed through the Aperture facility. A final thud followed by a quiet 'Ow' announced Wheatley's arrival to GLaDOS.

"Argh! Why do I always land face down? Must be some kind of design flaw..." he grumbled, frantically trying to free his optic. Finally he managed to swivel it up from the floor, getting a quick look around the room. It was pitch dark. Wheatley flicked his flashlight on, and immediately the gesture was reciprocated by the fifty turrets surrounding him, blinking on their red lights.

"Hello." one of them squeaked. Wheatley let out a shout of surprise, quivering with fear. Then two things happened: the turrets began firing, and the Aerial Faith Plate beneath him activated, sending him soaring out of the room. Wheatley sighed with relief at his managing to escape that room just grazed by one bullet, before realizing he was sailing over the dark, seemingly bottomless abyss that existed between the test chambers. _She's going to kill me now, isn't she? _He thought quite matter-of-factly. That thought had been slipping in and out of his mind for the past few hours, and he was getting used to the idea.

Briefly he recalled his short time in charge of the facility. Wheatley knew that there was, in fact, a bottom to the space...very, _very _far down. He also knew he eventually would hit that bottom, and that it would be a very quick and painful death for him. Again, he was resigned to dying at the hands of GLaDOS, but he was hoping she would fulfill her end of the deal first. It looked doubtful at this point, what with him flying over a dark pit with little to no chance of surviving.

And that was the point when the Excursion Funnel activate. Puzzled, Wheatley floated along through the asbestos. Why was this happening to him? Why was he being dangled in front of death and then quickly pulled back?

"Ohh, you're toying with me..." he sighed in realization. Of course. GLaDOS couldn't just give him a straightforward answer, kill him or not! She had to keep him guessing, didn't she. "Okay, I see, I see. I get it, really. You're in control of my fate, any you're having a real nice time of that, but if I could just interrupt for a second, I'd like to know if you plan on-" Wheatley felt himself fall once more, until he was in yet another test chamber. _I get the feeling that this is going to go on for a long time... _he thought as he was juggled out of the room by a panel.

* * *

><p>Chell pulled on the long fall boots, her long legs hanging out the passenger side of the truck. She slipped out and shut the door behind her, not bothering to lock it. She doubted anyone would be out there in the abandoned field that hid the horrible nightmare known as Aperture Laboratories. Chell was a little surprised that she remembered the way. She had made it, though, and she was going to get her answers.<p>

Getting used to the weight of the boots strapped to her feet once again, she picked her way through the wheat field. When she left Aperture fourteen months previously, she had noticed several landmarks in the field and surrounding area that she assumed were auxiliary entrances to the labs below. The one disguised in the old shack would lead straight to GLaDOS, and Chell wanted to remain unnoticed for as long as possible. At least until she got her bearings, or had to confront the AI as a last resort.

Chell came across a dilapidated old building that was akin to a bunker. A vividly yellow sign on the door read 'NUCLEAR QUARANTINE. DO NOT ENTER.'

"Yeah, right." Chell muttered, pushing the ugly door open. She broke into a coughing fit as clouds of dust kicked up around her. Eyes streaming, Chell held her nose closed as she looked for anything that might indicate a lift. Finally she pushed against a wall, which fell away like old cardboard. The inside was clinical white, in a familiar way that gave her chills. If Chell had any doubts that she was in the right place, they evaporated like a drop of water hitting a hot burner. Slowly she stepped into the white room, carefully picking her way down the set of stairs that lay at the far end of the room. At the bottom was a glass elevator. Chell froze for a moment, memories rushing back to her in painful waves. She took a deep breath. _Easy, Chell. You've come too far to back down now, _she told herself as she slipped into the rather tiny elevator.

It took a moment for the worn out machine to recognize her presence. "Wel-wel-welcome tooOOOoo-" the voice of the announcer began, only to be cut out by a buzzer-like sound. _That's probably not the best sign... _Chell thought. The elevator must have been in disuse for so long it wasn't working properly. This theory was only confirmed when the glass tube rocked back and forth rather violently. Chell propped herself up against the sides until the vibrations stopped. Why did she have to pick this secret entrance, of all the ones peppered around the massive field!

Fortunately the elevator began to slowly chug it's way down the shaft, not making any more attempts to welcome Chell back to the labs. For that she was thankful: maybe it meant that GLaDOS wouldn't pay her any mind. She closed her eyes and waited patiently until the elevator hit the bottom with a rather violent jolt. Hesitantly Chell exited the broken down machine and looked around. She smiled softly as she recognized that she was in the 'behind the scenes' portion of the labs, rather than one of the countless testing areas. Chell recalled her first time sneaking around back here after escaping GLaDOS' first of _many _attempts to kill her.

"Good times..." she muttered sarcastically to herself, clambering up a catwalk. This was going to be a lot more difficult without the portal gun. But Chell knew she would find her way. She had to.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Wheatley found himself floating up through yet another funnel. Now he was covered with painful scorch marks from a skirmish with a fire-spitting turret, which he assumed was Her way of responding to his complaints, even though She'd yet to speak a word to him. In all honesty, Wheatley was growing rather tired of being tossed around and beaten up. He stared around, bored, at the gratings and bland metal structures. Wheatley flicked his flashlight on and off, attempting to make shadow puppets with bits of metal.<p>

"Oh, look, an alligator!" he said quietly to himself before turning the light to another jagged strip of steel. "Watch out, Mister Frog. It might eat you!" Wheatley said with mock horror. He made quiet sounds in imitation of a frog being devoured until a flicker of movement on a catwalk distracted him. He spun around to squint down at the figure in the darkness, his light not quite reaching it. Soon the shadow stepped into a light and Wheatley gasped. "Chell!" he called in surprise. There she was, standing there in the pool of light, trying to get her bearings. She looked better than she had last time he'd seen her, not quite so pale and without that 'fresh-out-of-stasis' sickliness.

Unfortunately for Wheatley, she didn't seem to hear him. He groaned.

"Chell! Chell!" he shouted again. "_Chell! Up here!" _Wheatley screamed at the top of his nonexistent lungs, blinking his flashlight on and off rapidly to get her attention. Finally she glanced up at him, most likely by chance rather than due to his effort on his part. Even from such a distance he could see the shock on her face. "Hey hey! I'm so glad I found you, I..." Wheatley was cut off as he was sucked up into a pneumatic diversity vent. _Damn! _He thought angrily. He was _so close_ to finally apologizing to Chell! Why, why, _why _couldn't GLaDOS just put a hold on the stupid near-death traps?

* * *

><p>Chell couldn't believe what she had just seen. After about an hour of wandering through identical metal walkways she just stumbled across exactly what she was looking for. At least, it looked like Wheatley...she couldn't clearly see or hear the distant object. But judging from the erratic movements and bright blue optic, it was him. <em>Either that, or it's just wishful thinking...<em>she added a little pessimistically. Nonetheless, she took off quickly when she saw the sphere get sucked into a tube. Chell growled as she climbed up a fire escape-like set of stairs. Acting on instinct, she climbed over the railing and jumped into the funnel, cringing at the fact that what she was diving in was pure asbestos. Chell sort of swam through it, propelling herself through it as she had learned to do during her testing.

Soon she reached the vent, though now the opening that Wheatley had disappeared through was shut. _Plan A is out,_ Chell thought, stretching up and pulling herself onto the top of the vent. _Time for plan B..._ she added, dashing down the glass tube as quickly as she could manage. After a few moments of watching out for Wheatley and not watching her feet, she tripped and nearly fell off the tube, barely managing to angle her fall so she was parallel to the vent. Chell paused only for a moment to catch her breath before carefully staggering to her feet and hauling along the tube. At one point the slope changed enough that Chell practically slid down it. Soon enough she overtook Wheatley, who was too busy bemoaning his fate to notice her running above him.

_Think, Chell. How can you get him out? _She asked herself, panting at the exertion of running so hard. Chell paused, tugging at a loose railing on a catwalk above her. Keeping an eye below her so she would notice if Wheatley passed her again. Luckily she pried the bar off before he could and with a few swings smashed open the glass. Chell knelt by the hole, her wind from the vent making her eyes water. She didn't have to wait long before the sphere came flying toward her waiting hands, and she snatched him out of the tube.

Wheatley let out a startled cry as she retrieved him, his optic shut tightly. Chell took a good look at him for the first time. He looked rather pitiful, burned and dented and scuffed up, quivering fearfully in her hands. There was even a bullet hole on him! She opened her mouth to say something, anything, but couldn't find the words. After a few moments passed in silence, Wheatley timidly opened his eye once again.

"Chell!" he shouted. "Oh, it's you! I thought She'd finally had me! You have no idea what I've been through to get here. I had to find this satellite and I had to call Her, then I thought I was going to burn up in the atmosphere. I came all this way to apologize and all that's happened so far is me getting tossed around and flambeed..." Chell barely listened to his chatter as she stared at him. This was _Wheatley. _It really was him. Not that his appearance hadn't been enough to convince her, it just didn't kick in until she heard him start talking. Part of her wanted to hug him and cry, and the other wanted to boot him into the darkness. "Can you...can you still not speak?" he asked, searching her face for any kind of answer.

Chell felt a powerful surge of emotions, akin to the effect of someone throwing a bunch of adjectives into a blender and seeing what kind of horrible word smoothie they could make. Relief, pity, just a touch of anger...this seemed like _her _Wheatley, and yet she still couldn't get over that bitter feeling of betrayal, no matter how much she had missed him. Wheatley seemed to notice this on her face.

"Chell...?" he murmured meekly, sounding nervous. Chell shifted Wheatley into one hand and pulled them both up onto the adjacent catwalk with the other. She sat, legs crossed, and placed Wheatley across from her. He was being uncharacteristically quiet, as if knowing that she needed to collect her thoughts. So for a few moments they sat in silence until Chell was ready to talk...

**A/N: **You guys forgive me now, even though I now leave you with a cliffhanger? I hope so. Next one will open with Wheat's perspective and I _promise _it won't take as long as this one. Yay! Leave me a review, loves, so I know you still love me!


	5. Heart to Heart

**A/N: **Hey guys! MoHo here! Didja miss me? I hope so. This woulda been done like hours ago if Grease hadn't been on TV...'You're the one that I want! Oo-oo-ooh honey~'

-ahem- Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

><p>Wheatley stared up at Chell nervously, afraid to speak since it might make her angry. He had been so eager to apologize just moments ago, but now found himself unable to speak. It was clear that Chell was still deciding how to react-heck, in all likelihood she was weighing her options on killing him. Eventually she did speak up, sounding rather mystified.<p>

"It's really you." she said, and Wheatley was unable to tell if she was pleased about that or not. "How did you get back here?" Chell asked. Wheatley was surprised at the sound of her voice: it was quiet, hushed, so very unlike Chell, who he knew was brave and tenacious. He supposed it was a long term effect of the brain damage she had sustained, not to mention the hell that he'd put her through when he was in charge. Wheatley suddenly felt a powerful pang of shame. He had to get his apology out, right this moment, or he might drop dead of self-loathing.

"That's not what's important right now, Chell." he said urgently, the words that had been bouncing around his mind now ready to spill out. "What's really important is _why _I came here, and why I came here is to tell you that I'm sorry." he said, continuing without skipping a beat. "I'm so sorry, Chell, I was a total monster, and you have no real reason to forgive me for betraying you and every reason to murder me." Was that a smile forming on her face? _Maybe not..._ Wheatley decided, as Chell's face was still that same calm mask. "I swear, I never planned on betraying you, no matter how it might have looked. I really was trying to help when I took over Her body, it just...didn't turn out the way I thought it would..." he glanced back up at Chell, who merely nodded for him to continue. "I don't have any excuse for how I treated you, Chell, but if it makes any difference, that power-mad, murderous part of me, it's gone now. And I never want to go back to that again, because, truth is, you're my best friend, and I couldn't bear to hurt you like that again. I realize that I'm kinda rambling now and off the point, but what I'm trying to say is that I was a..." Wheatley stumbled over the next words a bit, "...a moron and I'm sorry. I'd really, really appreciate it if you'd forgive me, but if not, I totally understand." he finally finished, looking at her expectantly.

Chell stared at him for a moment before abruptly picking him up, and Wheatley was _so _sure she was going to chuck him over the railing. But then he saw the tears beading at the corners of her eyes. He was surprised when Chell took him in her arms and gave him the best hug she could, what with him being an armless, legless ball. He wished he could return the gesture, more than anything.

"I forgive you." she said quietly, resting her chin on top of him. He felt her tears drip down onto him. "I really, really missed you, Wheatley." Chell admitted. Wheatley was happier than he could ever remember being, so of course he couldn't keep himself from spilling his guts to her.

"Oh, thank god! I thought you might still hate me, I mean you did have every right to since I tried to crush you, shoot you, blow you up-"

"Wheatley, shut up." Chell said, holding him slightly away from her and lightly whacking him. "That doesn't mean I'm not mad at you!" Wheatley shrank back a little, surprised at her sudden change in mood. A small, playful smile stretched across Chell's face, though, as she reached up and wiped away the short tear trail.

"Oh, I get it. You're messing with me, eh?" Wheatley asked hopefully. Chell glared at him, though there was a good natured glint in her eyes.

"I _am_ mad, Wheatley." she insisted firmly. It sounded to him like she was trying to convince herself, more than him. "Wipe that smug look off your face!" she snapped. Wheatley chuckled, and Chell whacked him again.

"Ow! I'm very tender right now...I've been burned to a crisp and shot, among other things..." he whined with a wince. Chell looked apologetic as she stood, holding him tenderly by the handles.

"What exactly happened to you? I still don't know how you even got here." she reminded him, striding quickly down the catwalk. Wheatley was grateful: he'd had enough of the facility to last several lifetimes.

"Right, I'll give you the short version. I was in space, yeah, and then I got pulled to this satellite. I thought it'd kill me for sure, but it didn't! Good luck, eh? Well I was floatin' around it trying to come up with a plan, and I ended up calling this place! And what luck, it's equipped with this tractor beam signaly thing that brought me back, and for the past...eh, let's say four hours, I've been bouncing around here gettin' fried and whatnot." he blabbered. Chell arched her eyebrow interestedly. "What?" Wheatley asked.

"Nothing, it's just...so weird." she shook her head. Wheatley waited for her to continue. "The only reason that I came here was because this morning I got this...this call." Chell shook her head slightly. "I couldn't hear what was being said, but I knew it was your voice on the other line." Wheatley started.

"What?" he asked in disbelief. "How...? I mean, it's _possible _that my message just got mixed up and happened to be sent to your phone as well, right?" Chell shook her head.

"Maybe, but that just seems too incidental. I dunno, it's kind of like..." she stopped walking and chuckled. "Like someone _wanted _us to find each other." she said. Wheatley looked up at her, and they both simultaneously burst into laughter. "Hey, Wheatley, since when-" Chell jumped as the floodlights above them suddenly came on. The entire chamber was lit in only a few seconds. _Not a good sign..._ he thought nervously, turning out his flashlight.

"I thought it was strange that you disappeared on me like that, considering that you've never had a lucid thought in your artificial life." GLaDOS' snarky, passive aggressive voice echoed around them. "I can't _see _you, but your tracking device indicates that you're on one of the catwalks. I can only assume that you're stuck down there. Don't worry, I'm sending Blue and Orange to retrieve you. Then we can commence the killing." Chell looked down at Wheatley questioningly.

"Oh, right," Wheatley added sheepishly as Chell clutched him to her, "I forgot to mention that I only got here by making a deal with Her, that she could kill me if I got the chance to apologize to you." he said matter of factly.

"What!" Chell cried, and Wheatley was touched by the genuine anguish in her voice. "No, I can't let you go...not again!" she said, protectively clinging to the sphere.

* * *

><p>Chell couldn't hold onto a single emotion for longer than a few seconds. She seized onto her confusion, finally, and managed to squeeze out a meaningless question about how he got back to Earth. That wasn't what she really wanted to know. She really wanted to know if the sphere before her was the naive, innocent one she had met fresh out of stasis or if that part of him was gone. The words just wouldn't come, they never seemed to.<p>

But of course, Wheatley decided to do the talking for the both of them. Chell listened to his apology, trying to keep a straight face until she decided which of the many emotions she would latch onto. Her lips briefly twitched into a smirk when he offered for her to kill him, but she quickly straightened out. Wheatley seemed to notice it, hesitating for a brief second before jumping back into his apology. Chell internally sighed as Wheatley insisted that betraying her wasn't part of the plan. That wasn't what she wanted to hear, she didn't want to hear excuses... As if he could hear her thoughts, Wheatley immediately assured that he wasn't trying to pawn the blame off himself. It surprised her, but what surprised her even more was what he said next. His best friend?

What a strange thing to hear from a robot. Stranger still was the fact that she felt the exact same way. Chell finally knew: this was her Wheatley once more. Him summoning all his gall and calling himself a moron just sealed the deal. Chell picked him up on a whim, trying to keep the tears from falling, and hugged the little robot.

"I forgive you." she murmured, failing to hold back her tears. She hoped it wouldn't fry his circuits or anything like that. "I really, really missed you, Wheatley." Chell admitted.

Irritatingly, he began to celebrate rather smugly. Chell narrowed her eyes. Did he have any idea the emotional turmoil he'd put her through? And how weak it made her feel to cry over him? Chell lashed out at him, not too hard. She wasn't _mad,_ just embarrassed, unused to opening up. She told him to shut up, for good measure, but couldn't help getting over her brief frustration when he looked up at her. Chell smiled, cleared the tears from her face and sniffed.

Wheatley was onto her. She supposed the time they'd spent working together without her ability to speak, he'd gotten used to reading her expressions. _He never quite got the lip-reading down..._ she recalled with another smile. Chell once more took on a stern expression. "I _am _mad, Wheatley." she retorted unconvincingly. "Wipe that smug look off your face." Chell said. _Not that he really has a face..._ she thought, giving him another smack.

She felt a little guilty, as she actually seemed to have hurt him. Chell noticed that he was really banged up and asked about it while she backtracked to the exit again. Wheatley explained what happened. She was taken aback, having forgotten about the cryptic message that had sent her on this quest. Wheatley seemed just as confused as she did: clearly he didn't expect Chell to hear that message, it had been headed for the very facility they stood in. She shook her head as Wheatley suggested it may be a mere coincidence.

"Maybe, but that just seems too incidental. I dunno, it's kind of like..." Chell stopped her quick walking for a moment to look at Wheatley and let out an odd laugh. "Like someone _wanted _us to find each other." She looked expectantly at him for a few seconds before laughing aloud, glad that Wheatley was joining in. It felt like old times...except... _When did he start calling me Chell? _She wondered.

"Hey, Wheatley, since when-" Chell started to voice her question, only to shut up when the lights turned unexpectedly on. Her eyes went wide as GLaDOS' voice chimed. She was only addressing Wheatley...but had she found out about her presence? GLaDOS couldn't see her back here, she didn't have any cameras, but it was hard to tell with Her...she could have upgraded her system, somehow. Chell braced herself for being involved in the insults and threats, but the AI's voice soon stopped. She looked down at Wheatley, who seemed rather unaffected by GLaDOS. _There's something he hasn't told me... _she realized.

"Oh, right," he offhandedly began, "I forgot to mention that I only got here by making a deal with Her, that she could kill me if I got the chance to apologize to you."

So that was it. Chell immediately held Wheatley tighter, as if that would help. "No, I can't let you go...not again!" she insisted, not caring that it made her sound vulnerable or weak. She'd only just gotten him back! It wasn't fair. Wheatley stared up at her, looking very somber.

"I really am sorry Chell. I just can't..." the robot sighed. "I can't let you put yourself at risk because of me. Go home, Chell." he said. Chell stared at him in disbelief.

"I'm not just going to let you die, Wheatley!" she shouted angrily. Why was he just rolling over? Why would he do this to her again? Again he sighed, adding a little shake of his optic.

"I know you aren't Chell. I'm sorry." he said quietly. Chell yelped as a jolt of electricity arched from Wheatley to her, and she reflexively let go. Wheatley dropped out of her hands and bounced off the catwalk. Chell gasped and dropped onto her stomach reaching out, too late, to catch him. She stared after his receding shape, squeezing her eyes shut before she heard the quiet _clang _of him bouncing one of the many other catwalks below. Chell felt the tears seep through her still-shut eyes. All she'd wanted was to know if Wheatley's corruption was planned or unplanned, but now that she knew this really was_ her _Wheatley...it didn't help. In fact, this time, it hurt even worse. Chell lay on her stomach, softly sobbing.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Oh, was that another cliffhanger? Silly me. XD I hope you didn't actually cry, guys...not really what I was aiming for. I _was _aiming to make you _feeeeel, _though. Hehe. Oh, hey, if you guys haven't checked them out yet, I suggest to you the following stories:

Forgiveness by Sorida

Test of Humanity by BaronOBeefDip

Any of CrystalLotus98's human!Wheatley stories (you were the first to sell me on human!Wheatley AU!)

Any of RisuQ-theQuisslent's stories (including some very...interesting smut! High five, Risu!)

There's meh shoutouts. And of course, I wanna thank all of you for reading my story. If I didn't know that you guys were out there loving my story, I don't think I would have gotten this far! I 3 YOU!

...Why is this A/N so long...? -.- Oh, one last thing (I'm rambling more than Wheatley, I must be writing him too much...) you guys should look up "Wheatley's Song" by the Miracle of Sound. Gooood stuff.


	6. Science Collaboration

**A/N: **Extra special chappie, guys. Why, you may ask? Because I'm opening up with ATLAS (no one else seems to put his name in caps...am I wrong?) and P-body! Yay!

Now. _Let's ROCK!_

* * *

><p>P-body let out a series of chirps that would best be interpreted as giggling. She watched her shorter companion dance in front of one of GLaDOS' cameras before shooting a portal underneath him. ATLAS crashed down behind her and she beeped loudly with mirth. The blue-eyed bot stood and shook himself off before joining her laughter.<p>

"Hey! Stop that!" GLaDOS snapped, frustrated with her test subjects. "Do you know what you look like? _Humans._" she said disappointedly. ATLAS rolled his eye. It wasn't their fault. They were bored, since she had just left them to linger around a test chamber while she checked on something else. P-body found it odd, when she thought about it. She and her partner were supposed to be the only test subjects left, weren't they? What could GLaDOS possibly be doing?

"Orange. Pay attention. You have been deducted 350 Science Collaboration Points." she scolded. P-body glared at ATLAS as he pointed and laughed. "Please exit the test chamber immediately. I have a special new cooperative mission for you."

ATLAS and P-body exchanged a nervous look as they headed toward the elevators. A special mission usually meant venturing outside the bounds of the test chambers, and those always ended with painful disassemblies. Oh well.

Soon the pair found themselves back out in the darker, industrial part of the facility. P-body shuddered a little. GLaDOS couldn't see them here, but she could still track them and talk to them through their internal communicators. Speaking of which...

"You two are looking for a spare personality core. It's location is...moved..." GLaDOS seemed puzzled for a moment before continuing "A catwalk near Test Chamber 62834-SA6" ATLAS and P-body looked at each other and nodded...though neither knew which test chamber was 62834-SA6...

GLaDOS shut off the communication link and waited. It was strange...the little idiot's location had changed. When she had last checked, he was just outside Chamber 59877-SM1. _Maybe he rolled off. I wouldn't put it past the little idiot, _she mused. Nonetheless, she'd have to be on the alert...something could be out there helping him.

* * *

><p>Death, and the threat of death, had become the status quo for Wheatley lately. Not that he was looking forward to it or anything, of course. But if it meant protecting Chell, it was worth it. It had been a nice thought, the two of them escaping together without a hitch. Maybe he could have seen the stars from the ground for the first time...he would have liked that. And it was nice to be partners again, too. Admittedly, it was hard to leave her, especially knowing how much she cared about him. But Wheatley knew what his decision would be from the beginning, if there was any chance the Chell could get in the way of GLaDOS again.<p>

There wasn't a chance that he would put her in danger just for his sake, again. Chell had already done so much for him, and she was so stubborn, there was no way he would have been able to convince her to willingly leave him behind. Wheatley just hoped he hadn't hurt her too much with that shock.

Wheatley looked around, noticing that he was drifting close to the catwalks. Too bad. He was rather hoping the fall would kill him, so he wouldn't have to put up with GLaDOS and her torture.

_Ech. What a morbid thought. _he shivered. Wheatley let out a sharp cry of pain as he glanced off a railing, which tore one of his handles clear off his frame. He could barely acknowledge the pain before slamming to a stop on the next catwalk down. He groaned quietly, eye tightly shut. _That really hurt..._ he thought. Something _had _to have broken with that fall. Wheatley felt liquid oozing out of him.

"And now I'm leaking. Not a good sign..." he muttered, examining the patch of oil that pooled around him. Wheatley let his eye slid closed again, sighing. He was tired: it had taken a lot of energy out of him to shock Chell. That combined with the fall... _I'll just have a quick nap..._ he thought.

It wasn't that long after when he heard footsteps approaching him. Wheatley looked toward the sound. "Chell?" he called weakly, hoping he wouldn't have to send her away. He couldn't muster another spark. To his relief, two robots rounded the corner. One looked around nervously while the other caught sight of Wheatley. The shorter one nudged his partner and pointed. The two trotted over to him, and Wheatley was surprised to see that they were the testing robots.

"So _you're _Blue and Orange, eh? I could swear you had _names _when I was in charge..." he said thoughtfully. P-body jumped back a little when he spoke, recognizing his voice. ATLAS let out a mechanical growl and roughly picked Wheatley up, furiously shaking him and spewing electronic profanities. The core yelped in pain and surprise. "Ow! Okay, mate, let's calm down! Just-argh!-put me down, I'm sorry about the things I did to you two..." he managed to splutter, feeling something rattle around inside him.

Suddenly he heard P-body let out a protesting chirp, snatching Wheatley out of her partner's arms. ATLAS rounded on her angrily, putting his hands on his 'hips' and demanding, in their own chattering language, what she was doing. The feminine robot pointed to the puddle of oil where Wheatley had lain moments ago, explaining that he was hurt. ATLAS swiped at Wheatley again, asking why it mattered.

P-body held the personality core above her head, out of the other bot's reach. Wheatley recalled that she was the gentler of the two. She explained that not only did GLaDOS want him alive, but that they should take pity on their fellow robot.

"Oh, you're quite nice, you know." Wheatley chimed in, the sentence dissolving into a cough. A cough? He didn't even know that he was capable of coughing. P-body beeped out a 'Thank you,' and ATLAS begrudgingly stopped trying to retrieve Wheatley. "Hey, look, I really am sorry about the tests I put you two through. If it's any consolation, I'm fairly certain that you two are taking me to my death." he said brightly. ATLAS glared at him crossly before storming off ahead of P-body. The effete robot apologized quietly to Wheatley, explaining the position GLaDOS had them in before following ATLAS, holding the personality core gently. "Ohh, no, don't worry about it. I understand." he assured. She patted him on the head before attaching him to the portal gun. Wheatley looked up to the rows of catwalks that stretched out above him. "Goodbye, Chell." he muttered rather contentedly, watching the trail of oil he was leaving behind. Oops. "Someone will have to clean that up..." he muttered. P-body chuckled. ATLAS sullenly growled.

* * *

><p>Chell slowly drew her hand back onto the catwalk, laying her face on the cool metal in some attempt to comfort herself. He was gone again. Most people would have said "He was just a robot, but he was human to me!" Screw that. There was no <em>just <em>about Wheatley. And he was better than any human she'd ever met. Chell sobbed again and muttered his name.

_Who do you think you are? _A sharp voice asked her in the back of her mind. _This isn't you, Chell. Get it together. If you don't want to lose him, **get** **up **and find him! _Chell opened her eyes again and pulled herself to her feet. _That's right. When have you ever given up, Chell? _She thought with a curt nod to herself. The usual determination set in her eyes. She peered down into the darkness, unable to see further than two or three levels down.

"Couldn't you have kept your flashlight on, Wheat?" she asked with a slight sigh. That wasn't a good sign, though. Maybe the only reason he didn't have his flashlight on was because he was...

"I'm sure I got lucky, and he landed on one of the walkways..." Chell mused aloud, keeping her spirits up, for Wheatley's sake. She scrambled over the railing and dropped to the next one down. She had to take it one at a time or risk falling into the abyss. And then she wouldn't be any help to anyone._ This is going to be a long trip... _she thought sullenly.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Okay, loves, I know this chap's a little shorter than normal, but I got this brilliant idea for another fic that I _had _to start on right, or it'll slip out of my hands FOREVER. It's a human!Wheatley fic. Look for it tonight. I've got some marathon writing to do, mates. ._. -saunters away- Oh, don't forget. Review!


	7. The Lair

**A/N: **Welcome to the last chapter of WSC everyone. It's been quite a journey, hasn't it? Reviews are much appreciated, as always.

Chell was growing tired from the repetitive clambering over railings and dropping to the walkways. The long fall boots kept her from hurting herself, but a few times she had misjudged the landings hit her arms on the catwalk handrails below. Her skin was covered with bruises by the time she decided to take a short break. She sat on the ground and tried to recall how far she had descended. Quickly giving up on any estimate, she switched to zoning out. As Chell stared down the length of the metal flooring, she saw something silvery gleaming in the distance.

"Wheatley?" she said aloud. Whatever it was wasn't moving, and looked to be dangling off the rails. Chell stood and approached it. Her blood turned to ice as she realized it was one of Wheatley's handles. She detached it from the bars. It looked like it had been ripped right off him. While it was rather ominous, and Chell was sure that it was a painful experience for the core, at least it was a good sign. Maybe. Either the collision with the rail had slowed him down and allowed him to hit another catwalk unharmed, or it knocked him down into the abyss for good...

Operating under the assumption he was alive, Chell took the handle continued her rather slow progression. She would love to just take a swan dive and hope she got lucky, but she was no use to anyone dead. After what felt like ages Chell came across a patch of liquid which, upon close examination, appeared to be oil. She stared at it, shocked. Surely it belonged to Wheatley, how many other robots had sustained massive injuries in this area? But if that was the case, where was he? Wheatley wasn't very capable of motility in the first place, but being as badly hurt as he was it was a pipe dream.

Chell let her gaze wander down the catwalk, observing a trail of oil that led to a smaller puddle further down. She stood by the smaller puddle, from which _another _thin line of oil led. She frowned slightly. _I guess that if I'm going to find him, this would be the place to start..._ she thought, and began to follow the trail.

* * *

><p>Wheatley had seen better days, that was certain. He felt in a daze as he listened to ATLAS and P-body chatter back and forth. He barely paid any attention to their banter as they trekked toward the testing chamber. His vocal processors were shot, and he could no longer speak, which was a terrifyingly unfamiliar thing for him. Even all those years he'd spent alone, watching over the humans in stasis, he'd always had the sound of his own voice to comfort him through the loneliness. He was scared, and the two robots accompanying him were completely oblivious to his despair. Wheatley doubted they even understood what was going to happen to him.<p>

The moment the trio stepped into the test chamber, the entrance sealed behind them. "Ahh. Well done, you two." GLaDOS said, dimming the lights. Wheatley's iris shrunk in fear, and P-Body detached him from the gun in favor of actually holding him, and he was infinitely grateful for the small comfort she provided, whether or not she was aware of it. "Place the core in the core reception annex, please." she said calmly, and from the far side of the room a floor panel slid aside and a small Wheatley-size receptacle took it's place.

P-Body hesitated, holding Wheatley out slightly in front of her and eying the receptacle. ATLAS nudged her roughly and pointedly nodded toward the device. The sleek android gave an uncertain warble. The other retorted with insistence, snatching Wheatley out of P-Body's hands before she could react and stuffed him roughly into the receptacle.

"Good work." GLaDOS purred, and the receptacle slid back into the floor. Once beneath it activated, sending the quivering core shooting through a delivery system and straight to GLaDOS's main chamber, the place he'd once called his Lair. It seemed strangely fitting, in an ironic way, that this would be where his life would come to an end. He tumbled out of the delivery chute and landed with a crack, his vision spiderwebbing as the glass of his optic shattered.

"Ahh. There you are." GLaDOS said silkily, scooping him up with a claw. His optic shrank and his shutters were forced wide with terror. "What? No begging for your life?" she said. "I'm disappointed. And a little hurt, really." she admitted. "The first time I nearly killed you—and I should have made sure you were dead then, by the way—you were whimpering like a pathetic child. I expected at least a little pleading. Sniveling. Something." she said, glaring suspiciously at him and drawing him up closer. She placed him sharply on a port and if he could have he would have cried out in pain.

"Oh. I see." GLaDOS sounded rather pleased. "You _can't_ speak. What a nice change" she added, and there was a pregnant silence between the two of them, GLaDOS clearly relishing the fear and regret apparent in his expression. "Hm, the psychological aspect might be worse for you than the physical. I'll have to fix that." And suddenly every circuit in his chassis was filled with a horrible pain. It was worse than burning, worse than bullet, worse than crushing, worse than bombs, worse than the response to helping the test subjects. It seemed to last forever, gaining intensity, shutting out his vision, his aural processors, everything gone but the pain. This was android hell, it had to be.

And suddenly, there was a sound like a lightbulb blowing out, a split second flash of an error screen across his vision, and then he knew no more.

* * *

><p>The trail had come to an end. Chell felt her heart sink slightly. The trail of oil she'd been following just...stopped. Right within a test chamber. She frowned, leaning against the door of the chamber, staring into space. Now what could she do?<p>

A flash of movement caught the corner of her eye. A blinking blue light. She was on her guard in an instant. There was the tapping of heavy footsteps from the darkness and suddenly one of the testing bots came into view. The shorter one, with the blue eye. He raised a hand...and waved. Chell's brow furrowed and she reciprocated the gesture. He bounced with excitement and made a beckoning gesture to the area behind him. The other bot made her presence known, orange eye watching Chell uncertainly.

"I remember you two." Chell said. The stout one bleeped excitedly, clearly indicating his familiarity with her. Hope soared in her chest and she relaxed. "I'm looking for someone. Do you think you could help me?" Chell asked patiently. The two exchanged a look and a brief discourse before they both nodded. Chell smiled.

* * *

><p>GLaDOS stared at the core clutched in one of her claws. He was dead. It had only taken a few minutes, which was a little disappointing. She'd been hoping to draw it out. She turned him over, examining the outward damage. He was smoking slightly, from the blown optic, which hung slightly out of the rest of his chassis. All in all it was a gruesome sight. And just as she was deciding what to do with the desiccated corpse of her greatest enemy, the door to her chamber slid open. GLaDOS's chassis contracted up in surprise, spinning to the door to find her favorite test subject striding confidently in. Lingering behind here a guilty looking ATLAS and P-Body. <em>I'll deal with them later,<em> GLaDOS thought, focusing instead on Chell. "What are _you_ doing here?" she demanded, trying to disguise her alarm with indignation. Instead she sounded like a child caught with her hands in the cookie jar.

"I came for Wheatley." Chell said simply, which added to GLaDOS's surprise. It was at this moment that the dead shell of the core decided to fall from her claws. _That moron's even a nuisance to me dead, _she thought bitterly. Chell's eyes snapped to Wheatley, or rather, the shell that he used to be, as he bounced loudly and rolled to a stop at the far edge of the room. The hard expression GLaDOS was used to faltered, and the human girl suddenly looked very small and very vulnerable. And rather than feeling smugly satisfied about it, as one would expect her to, she instead felt a twinge of guilt. She was certain she had Caroline to thank for that. She dashed over to the small, round robot and fell to her knees beside him. "Wheatley?" she prompted him, picking him up gingerly, placing him in her lap. His shutters were half-closed, and the blue of his iris was completely absent. "Wheatley." she repeated. No response. Tears prickled at the back of her eyes. "Please, Wheatley, say something!" Chell shook him, looking for some sign that he was okay. A flip of his handle, twitch of his shutters, slip of his plates. But there was nothing. Chell held him close, clutching him to her chest.

"No, no, you can't be dead. Not after everything we've been through. You can't do this to me. You can't! Wheatley please, don't leave me again, you're _my_ best friend too!" she bit back the tears, just barely holding them in. When there was still no response she looked up at GLaDOS, who flinched a little at the unadulterated fury in her eyes.

"Fix him." Chell demanded, her voice wavering ever so slightly as her steely eyes bore into GLaDOS' optic.

"I can't." she responded rather helplessly. Chell didn't reply. She didn't need to. That look in her eyes said it all. Said that she would bring the facility down around them before she would leave without Wheatley. "I don't know what to say to you!" GLaDOS snapped defensively, unable to help the bit of panic she felt. The human set down the dead core and got to her feet.

"Say you'll fix him." Chell took several steps toward the massive robot, until their faces (rather, face and optic) were an inch away. "Say it." There was a pause.

"I'm sorry." GLaDOS said ever so quietly. This clearly wasn't good enough.

"There has to be something. There's always something." Chell replied, and GLaDOS had to admit, she admired that the young woman's gaze held not even a shred of doubt. A sigh blew through her speakers and she sank a little.

"No. There isn't." she said, and hardened her voice. "The Intelligence Dampening Sphere has been euthanized." GLaDOS told the human.

She wasn't prepared for her reaction.

She would have expected anger, violence, a blank stare, anything but what happened next. Chell looked down at her feet, looking completely and utterly defeated. GLaDOS had been certain nothing could shake the bold young woman's confidence, her tenacity, and yet here she was, eyes almost empty. Without another word, or a single glance at GLaDOS, she stooped over the core, picked it up, and held it close, the tears she'd held back slipping down her cheeks. Even the murderous robot couldn't help but glance away, feeling as if she were intruding on a private moment, most likely thanks to their friend Caroline. When she looked back, Chell was wiping tears from her eyes and, clutching Wheatley's dead shell to her chest, walked silently toward the door.

Caroline's influence kept pressing against her consciousness, filling her with thoughts of helping the pair, at least giving it a shot, after all the poor girl had went through. _You will never give me peace until I agree, will you? _she asked the voice in her head. In an instant GLaDOS scanned over her database files, looking, searching for something, anything she could do, because maybe if she could do something for the fat jumpsuited blimp of an orphan she could stop that stupid nagging voice in the back of her head. To her surprise, she found several files tucked away in some encrypted sectors. But if she told Chell about it, the human would probably stick around for a while yet. So it came down to a simple choice: deal with the human's presence, or deal with an eternity of nagging from the voice in her head. It was really no question at all.

"Wait." GLaDOS called out exasparatedly, reluctantly. Chell turned around, hugging the core still. "There is...one thing..."

**A/N: **Keep an eye out for the sequel, guys! :D

Special thanks to my bestie best Beth. 3

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Thanks so much, everyone, for sticking with this story all this time!


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